SUSTAINING AFRICAN SOILS RESILIENCE THROUGH CONSERVATION

AND RESTORATION

PROFESSOR P.L MAFONGOYA

SOUTH AFRICA RESEARCH CHAIR: AGRONOMY AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL, SOUTH AFRICA:mafongoya@ukzn.ac.za
INTRODUCTION

• Soils are the essence of life

• Sustain humans, plants and animals
• For present and future generations
• A source of food we eat
• Home and habitat for much of the planet`s flora and fauna
• Soil is precious resource,UN 2014 YEAR OF SOILS
INTRODUCTION

• Healthy and fertile soils are cornerstone of food security and rural livelihoods
• Conserving, restoring and enhancing soils
• Through sustainable management practices
• Could unleash Africa`s agricultural transformation
• Towards a food secure economy with vibrant rural livelihoods
INTRODUCTION

• Soils are a global priority

• Preserving the earth`s land and soils is fundamental
• If were to provide sufficient food, clean water and health recreational spaces
• Lower greenhouse emissions
• Need to use land and soil resources more sustainably
• Set immeasurable pathway towards preventing land and soil degradation
MANAGING SOILS FOR ADDRESSING GLOBAL ISSUES

• The objective is to enhance soil resilience

• Restore its capacity
• To recover and restore essential processes
• Which moderate ecosystem services and functions
• Eliminate extractive farming and soil mining
• Soil and ecosystem resilience can be enhanced through creation of positive C and nutrients
budgets
• Using technologies which adapt to current and future climate change (Fig 14.2)
AFRICAN SOILS

• The soils are diverse

• Range from highly acidic and weathered soils
• Moderately leached
• Africa have 31 soil types (See African soils map)
MAJOR SOIL TYPES OF AFRICA
THE VICIOUS CYCLE OF SOIL DEGRADATION
Soil
degradation
and nutrient
depletion

Decline in Decline in
environmen Depletion of agronomic
tal quality and biomass
soil organic
productivity
matter

Food
insecurity,
malnutrition,
and hunger
LINKAGE BETWEEN DECLINE ON CROP PRODUCTIVITY, DECLINE SOIL FERTILITY, ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION AND HUMAN NUTRITION AND HEALTH

Loss of nutrients, biodiversity and soil erosion

Agriculture
Environmental
without proper
degradation
management

Malnutrition
and illness
LAND AND SOIL DEGRADATION

• SSA is threatened by land degradation

• Which caused inter-alia
• Population growth, conflicts and wars
• Which expand refuge settlements
• In appropriate soil management practices
• Climate change and variability
• Intrinsic characteristics of fragile soils in different agro-ecological zones
• Deforestation and insecurity of tenure
LAND AND SOIL DEGRADATION

• SSA accounts for 65% of crop land degradation in the world

• 485million are affected by land degradation
• The cost of land degradation to the continent is US$ 9.3billion
• Africa faces escalating soil fertility crisis
• US$ 4billion of nutrients are lost per year
• Declining soil fertility in Africa is due to nutrient mining
• Decreased crop yields per capita and food production
• Continued trends would mean future higher levels of poverty and food insecurity
• Environmental damage on social and political instability
LAND AND SOIL DEGRADATION

• Farmers do their best to conserve soil and water

• Pervasive poverty market imperfections
• Ineffective institutions
• Climate change and variability
• All these will make land degradation continue at a large scale
• Technologies such as organic manure, mulching, CA, agroforestry, water conservation techniques
are used to conserve
TABLE 1: AVERAGE NUTRIENT BALANCES FOR SELECTED COUNTRIES IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
(SSA) IN KGHA-1 YEAR-1

Country N P K
1982-1984 2000 1982-1984 2000 1982-1984 2000

Benin -14 -16 -1 -2 -9 -11

Botswana 0 -2 1 0 0 -2

Cameroon -20 -21 -2 -2 -12 -13

Ethiopia -41 -47 -6 -7 -26 -32

Ghana -30 -35 -3 -4 -17 -20
Kenya -42 -46 -3 -1 -29 -36
Malawi -68 -67 -10 -10 -44 -48
Mali -8 -11 -1 -2 -7 -10
Nigeria -34 -37 -4 -4 -24 -31
Rwanda -54 -60 -9 -11 -47 -61

Senegal -12 -16 -2 -2 -10 -14

Tanzania -27 -32 -4 -5 -18 -21

Zimbabwe -31 -27 -2 2 -22 -26

TABLE 2: SOIL DEGRADATION PROCESSES AND THEIR MITIGATION

Process Mitigation
1. Soil degradation by physical, chemical and biological process 1. Address social, economic and political causes.
2. Low productivity and poor farm income. 2. Adopt modern technologies and compensate
farmers for ecosystem services (e.g. trading C).
3. Severe depletion of nutrient and soil organic matter. 3. Must create positive C and nutrient budgets,
including micronutrients
4. Salinity and waterlogging. 4. Improve drainage, use sub drip irrigation
5. Traditional vs modern technologies. 5. Build on traditional knowledge but must use
modern technologies

6. Biofuels and organic farming 6. Identify specific niches where these may be
economically feasible
7. Vulnerability to desertification Do not take soils for granted
 FIG 1: SOCIETAL DEMANDS ON WORLD SOIL RESOURCES

Climate Change
-Gaseous fluxes
-Residence
use of C in soil use

Carbon Waste
Industrial Sequestration disposal
Raw
Materials

Food Security Nutrient Cycling Energy Plantations

Pedosphere Energy Demand
-Food demand -C-neutral fuel
-Nutritional Processes
-Use efficiency
quality

Redistribution
Translocation
Biodiversity Planetary
History

Water Demand
-Scarcity
-Quality
 FIG 2: TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS
Climate Change
A. Mitigation
C .Sequestration
Oxidizing CH4
Decreasing N2O emissions
B. Adaptation
Energy demand Nano-Enhanced fertilizers Food security

Hydrologic processes in Agricultural soils

Biofuel plantations Drip sub irrigation Land water and Energy
saving technology
Energy saving Technologies for Improving soil quality
options Adaptation Increasing use efficiency
Enhance energy of input
Coupled Cycling of C, N, P and Water

Climate Change Enhance human nutrition

efficiency through soil quality
Enhanced Soil
Resilience &
Ecosystems
Services
Water Quality
Enhance soil and Reuse, Denaturing
Ecosystem Biodiversity recycle contaminants
Agroforestry & mixed Filtering pollutants
farming R
Reducing NPS
Soil flora and fauna Reversing Degradation & pollutants
Disease suppressive soils Desertification
Positive C & Nutrient budgets
Increase NPP
Soil bioterbation, Drillosphere & Harvest store & recycle H2O
Strengthen nutrient cycling
Rhizospheric processes
FIG 3: ENHANCING SOIL RESILIENCE FOR MEETING GLOBAL CHALLENGES OF 21ST CENTURY
Nanotechnology
-Nanofertilization
-Phytoremediation
-Hydrates/Zeolites
-Water delivery as
-vapours

Agronomic Minimal losses

Innovations
Biotechnology
-subsurface drip
Nutrient & H20 use efficiency -Stress signals
irrigation Plant-soil symbiosis -Stress tolerance
-No-till farming Sustainable -Herbicide resistant
-Waste management Management crops
-Precision farming
using intelligent of Soils -N fixation by cereals
machines

Information Automation

Water Demand
-Bio-information
-Remote sensing of
soil properties
-Portable mini-mass
Spectroscopic analysis
TABLE 3: SOIL ATTRIBUTES AND THEIR MANAGEMENT
Soil attributes
1. Low water holding capacity
2. Low soil fertility
3. High susceptibility to erosion
4. Vulnerability to compaction
5. Low soil organic matter content
6. Low use efficiency of inputs
7. 7Low productivity
8. Susceptibility to biotic and abiotic
Stresses
Management strategies
1. Use of zeolites, bio solids and soil conditioners
2. Use of nano enhanced slow release fertilizers, precision farming
3. Provide continuous soil cover, use of non-till and mulch farming with cover
crops, establish contour hedges.
4. Avoid heavy traffic when soil is wet, use guided traffic, promote soil fauna
5. Recycle bio solids, use forages and deep rooted cover crops, apply biochar,
minimize tillage and control erosion
6. Deliver water and nutrients directly to plant roots and eliminate losses
7. Combine high tech varieties with innovative management options
8. Develop varieties which emit molecular-based signals
detectable through remote sensing followed by targets
intervention
CONCLUSION

• Raising the profile and respectability of soil science profession

• Not many soil scientist in SSA
• Low public profile of soil scientist and students
• Contribution made by soil scientists is not widely recognized
• Raise the profile for soil scientist profession through: Soil scientists must address global issues such
water quality,biodiversity,waste disposal, food security, energy and climate change and
variability
• Soil scientists must create public awareness
CONCLUSION

• Publish in widely read journals e.g. science/nature

• Graduate and undergraduate curriculum must be revisited so that it can attract the best and
brightest
• Better linkages with industry
• Soil scientists must interact with other discipline to create awareness about potential and
opportunities in working together
• Build bridges across all discipline
• Develop channels of communication with policy makers
CONCLUSION

• Soil science is at cross roads

• It has a great role in ushering a green revolution and increasing global food production
• It needs to position itself to address 21st century problems
• Judicious management of soils to create resilience in the 21st century
• By addressing global and societal needs
• Soil science has a bright and promising future
FINALLY

• As a natural resource soils are often overlooked

• Neglected overtime
• This will result in low crop productivity and food insecurity
• Which affects resources poor farmers in Africa
• Naturing,conserving, restoring and enhancing African soils should be a global priority
FINALLY

•SOILS A FINITE RESOURCE WITH INFINITE

POSSIBILITIES DEPENDING HOW YOU
MANAGE THEM